Between the Black and White Lines
by Wolf-of-Words
Summary: Ficlet Corner. Team Eight Centric. Between the black and white lines there is only gray.
1. 01 Of Homes and Hearts

Welcome to my Team Eight ficlet corner...now, why did you click this link? Aw, well. I suppose you are expecting something to consume your ever-abundant time, eh? Well, you've come to the right place. Enjoy.

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**Title:** Of Homes and Hearts

**Summary:** Team Eight contemplates the concept of Home.

---------Start---------

Home is where the Heart is.

But what if the place that was supposed to be _home_, was merely a _house_?

Where does the heart go then?

Hinata doesn't know.

Caught between the feuding families of the Main and Branch houses, constantly being belittled and ridiculed, talks of destinies and fate- well, that certainly wasn't Home. Hinata attempts to find sanctuary, somewhere for her fragile heart to be safe without having to pick up the pieces when all's said and done.

Shino doesn't know.

Silent disapproval from all sides- from both complete strangers and family members alike. Disgust. It comes with the Aburame name. Infested- yes, that was the word they used. Shino wishes to hide his heart away from those contemptuous glances and stares filled with disgust; he does not want to be judged. Home is an empty place, not somewhere to conceal his _infested _heart.

Kiba doesn't know.

Despite an extensive family including dogs and humans alike, Kiba is all alone. He is simply outnumbered in a sea of familiar and unfamiliar faces, all of whom strive to be noticed. It is the nature of the Inuzukas to shine brightest. In the end, it is too bright for _anyone_ to shine. He drags his ragged heart from the masses of people, and yearns for someplace he is noticed. Someplace he can shine alone.

So they carry their hearts with them- a heavy burden to bear weighing in their chests- and search for a place called Home. Somehow, these three, separate stories become intertwined and somewhere along the way, a Home is formed.

A make-shift, small Home, but a Home never-the-less.

Hinata's delicate, fragile heart is sheltered from being shattered yet again by two friends who don't want to see her hurt any more. But when it does shatter (as it inevitably will), at least she won't have to pick up the pieces by herself.

Shino's withdrawn heart begins to emerge with the knowledge that he is not judged here, and is valued.

Kiba's ragged heart finally basks in the sweet, golden spotlight and emerges as a leader. And as he looks back to his teammates, he grins his wolfish grin and pulls them up with him.

Truth is, _Home_ doesn't always refer to a house.

Home can sometimes be found in the comfort of other people- of friends.

So when the heart does not feel at home in the house, it might just take off in search of something better.

**- - O w a r i- -**


	2. 02 Kismet

Spent a whole lot of time finding a name for this one. And _how_ exactly did I end up with _Kismet_? Well, for one, it sounds cool. And two...well, blame the Thesaurus. I put 'Cards' in and it gave me 'Kismet'. Yeah. I believe it is Turkish or Persian for 'Fate', if I recall correctly...

And yes. They are playing Bullshit. Pity you who do not know the rules. Kidding.

- - - - - -

**Title:** Kismet

**Summary:** Team Eight cheats.

**- - -**Start **- - -**

The rain came swift and hard, lightning and thunder accompanying it as always. The overhang above Team Eight that was serving as a temporary shelter groaned and creaked under the constant barrage of raindrops.

The streets were empty and stores were dark. It was unlikely anyone was even out training.

Which was why Team Eight was stuck out there in the first place.

Kurenai-sensei had failed to mention that training was off today, and as a result, her team braved the storm and came to the regular meeting spot- but no sensei. This, of course, was when the thunder and lightning came, and no one wanted to brave _that_ just yet.

In order to stave off boredom, they had began a word game, of which no one really knew the rules to, so Kiba got pissed, Shino stayed stoic, and Hinata tried to keep the dog-boy from tackling her other teammate to the ground.

Fortunately for the peace-maker, she had discovered a deck of playing cards in her pack.

Which started a whole new batch of problems.

"BS, Kiba. You lied."

"Dammit, Shino! How do you _do_ that?"

Shino merely smirked in response as he watched Kiba pick up the pile of cards and put them in his hand. He turns to his female teammate. "Your turn, Hinata."

"Right. Um...W-what're we on?"

"Two's," Says Kiba, surveying his cards.

"Okay, two two's..." Hinata pulls two cards from her hand and places them on the floor- for lack of a better surface.

"Bull Shit, Hinata." Kiba smirks playfully, never taking his eyes off the cards in his hand.

The Hyuuga heiress flashes a meek smile. "Guess I'm not a very g-good liar, huh?" She bends down to withdraw her cards.

"No. Not really. My turn?" Shino asks.

Kiba nods distractedly, preoccupied with arranging his jumble of cards into a somewhat comprehensible order.

Hinata hides her face with a fan of poker cards, presumably choosing her next move.

"One three..."

"You're bluffing, Shino-kun..."

"Meh. Caught me, Hinata."

"Your turn, Kiba-kun."

"Right- four's, now..."

He began moving his hand towards a pair of nines (He didn't have any fours, which, considering his large hand, seemed very strange) when he heard a faint buzzing somewhere in the vicinity of his right ear.

He absentmindedly swatted it. _What bug in its right mind would be out in this storm? _

Realization struck.

"Shino, you _lying cheat_!" Kiba snarled, slamming his cards down and lunging forward to glare at the accused.

Shino, however, was unfazed. Calmly placing his cards down, the bug-boy gave his friend a look through his shades. "What crap are you spewing now, Kiba?"

"Don't you 'what-crap-are-you-spewing-now' me, you cheater!"

"K-kiba-kun..." Hinata stutters, afraid that her peaceful card game wasn't going to be so peaceful anymore, gently placing her hand onto the floor.

"Hinata- Shino's using his bugs to spy on our hands!"

"...So?"

"So? _'So?'_ " The dog-boy yelled to the bug-boy.

"A Shinobi must utilize his talents to his advantage. Even in something as trivial as a game of cards." The Aburame replies, as emotionless as always.

"Gah! You're hopeless!" Kiba yelled, hands on head in exasperation.

"Don't be stupid. I saw Akamaru sneaking around behind us. Besides, Hinata was using her Byakuugan."

Hinata simply looked guilty and a little embarrassed that she was caught, but Kiba wasn't going to give up with out a fight.

"I- well...That doesn't count!"

"How so?"

The two went on bickering- well, more like Kiba yelling until his face grew red and Shino deflecting his insults with (cleverer) ones of his own. While Hinata merely sighed to herself and began to play fifty-two card pick-up with herself.

"...We're not very good at this game, are we?"

Kiba stopped in mid-yell, hand clutching Shino's overcoat, looking over at his teammate. Hinata crouched in the midst of their ruined game, fingers curled around a card.

To her teammates' surprise, the small girl began to laugh.

Kiba's grip on Shino's coat loosened, and he began to chuckle as well. Even the resident blank slate cracked a smirk.

"We...we just can't seem to do anything right, c-can we?" Hinata beams.

"Yeah...we even screw up a dumb card game." Kiba grins, stooping down to help Hinata pick up the abandoned cards.

"...But at least we try," Adds Shino, joining his friends in picking up the cards.

"Yeah...You're right," Hinata says as she looks up to the grey sky. "We try hard, don't we?"

Finally, with all fifty-two cards in hand, Team Eight stands up.

"Hey- the storm's still goin' on...we're certainly not going anywhere...Why don't why try another game?" Kiba offers, shuffling the deck in his hands.

"Slapjack?" The Hyuuga suggests, head tilting slightly.

"Can't see how we can screw that up..." Shino trails off, dropping to the floor again.

"Then Slapjack it is."

Kiba grins wolfishly and takes a seat next to Shino, while Hinata completes the circle and started dealing the cards out.

_Smack!_

"Oh no, Shino, my hand was there first and you _know it!"_

**- -O w a r i- -**


	3. 03 Refraction

I would like to thank everyone who reveiwed- little do you know how far a word of praise can take you. Thanks!

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**Title:** Refraction

**Summary:** Mirrors may tell stories, but the stories that they tell are often warped and cracked to suit the viewer.

------Start------

Mirrors are difficult creatures.

They mock, they jeer, and they scorn, but they never lie.

They show you as you see yourself- nothing less, and nothing more.

They show what you expect to see- your mistakes, your disappointments, your flaws- and no matter how you try to hide those things, a mirror will put a crack in that delusion, snatch away that mask, and tear down that façade.

So tell me, when the members of Team Eight look into the mirror, what do they see?

Kiba sees a hopeless runt, the loudest one of the litter, but he's only that way because he's afraid he will fade into the nameless background and never be found again.

Shino sees himself only as a freak- someone who others won't even get close to in fear of his bugs.

Hinata sees no one worth noticing.

But outside of the mirror's cracked web, what do we look like now?

When Kiba grins his dog-like grin and eyes his team, he doesn't see their flaws and faults. He sees trust-worthy companions who balance his often wild nature with their own- friends who will always have his back.

Shino watches and watches, and finally realizes that- in his teammates' eyes- he is not some freak that can't be trusted or liked, but instead a well-spring of courage, and decides that he might stick around after all.

As Hinata looks to her teammates, she smiles. She has finally found friends who don't think she's a failure, and is allowed to try to the best of her ability, knowing that she won't be judged. Companions-_ brothers_- who will help her up each time she falls.

In the end, they decide, it isn't so bad to get a second opinion. Being a part of a team is nice.

When it comes down to it, mirrors really aren't so threatening. Just over-used clichés.

**- - O w a r i- -**


End file.
